OTP UPGRADES TO LEVEL FOUR’S BRIDGE:test

London - 18 July 2007

Level Four, a leading supplier of open standards-based ATM software, today announced that OTP Bank, the largest retail bank in Hungary with a network of nearly 2,000 ATMs, has upgraded to BRIDGE:test, Level Four’s automated testing solution for Windows-based ATM applications. The solution will help OTP Bank drive cost savings and productivity gains throughout its ATM network, while ensuring the highest possible level of customer service at its ATMs.

As part of its expansion plans to become a key player in the CEE region, OTP Bank has completed several acquisitions in recent years. The acquisitions have created new environments in which critical ATM assets like vendor-developed software applications cannot operate with competing vendor’s hardware. To address this issue, OTP Bank recently selected a new multi-vendor ATM application software platform for its domestic and international ATM networks, supplied by an independent software company rather than an ATM terminal manufacturer. For OTP Bank, it means that once the application is developed, it can be deployed on platforms from a variety of hardware vendors, provided the ATM hardware adheres to the industry-wide XFS open standard. However, like any mission critical application, the ATM software needs to be rigorously tested prior to deployment to ensure customer satisfaction, and this requires an independent and XFS standards-compliant automated solution.

Since 2003, OTP Bank has been using Level Four’s ATM Developer solution for testing and configuration file management of its legacy ATM platforms. Now, with the BRIDGE:test upgrade, OTP Bank can confidently deploy fully-tested modern Windows/XFS-based ATM application software into its network. The solution’s comprehensive, automated testing of ATM software applications means that issues can be detected and resolved prior to deployment for greater network reliability. OTP Bank will benefit from reduced time to market of implementing new software builds and BRIDGE:test will support the roll-out of a common ATM application to the bank’s international subsidiaries in Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.

György Sebestyén, senior project manager at OTP Bank, said: “We’ve been working with Level Four since 2003 and from the great work we’ve already experienced, we know that we will benefit from the upgrade to Level Four’s BRIDGE:test. The solution ensures far greater breadth and depth of testing than can be conducted manually, ensuring more reliable ATM software in the field. For us, BRIDGE:test is more than just a test tool; it empowers us to take control of our multi-vendor ATM application platform and, as a result, demand the highest level of service from our hardware suppliers.”

Ian Kerr, CEO of Level Four, said: “The upgrade deal with OTP is continuing the trend of ATM Developer customers upgrading to BRIDGE:test as they move to Windows and upgrade their ATM software. Increasingly, our customers are looking to make the most of their multi-vendor ATM networks through seeking an independent testing solution. BRIDGE:test supports the XFS standard to today’s true multi-vendor solutions adhere to, and supports XFS-based applications from the main providers of ATM software including NCR’s Aptra Edge, Wincor-Nixdorf’s ProCash, Absolute Systems, Phoenix Interactive and KAL. This proves our commitment to supporting our clients’ migration to modern ATM technology.”

The latest version of BRIDGE:test, release 2.9, was announced earlier this year and enables banks and payment processors to reap up to 80 per cent time savings for end-to-end testing of their ATM software applications. BRIDGE:test is a key component of Level Four’s BRIDGE product family, an integrated suite of open ATM software products that has been developed to address the needs of ATM deployers seeking to maximise their investment in the ATM channel. The BRIDGE family consists of five interoperable product components, which can be used individually or combined together to meet various aspects of the business challenges facing ATM deployers. As a component suite, BRIDGE can be deployed either alongside manufacturer-provided solutions or as a holistic solution for all ATM software needs.